Assuming that your end goal is to be the best tennis player you can possibly be, what’s the best approach to learning the game of tennis, to climbing that mountain? As I look around, I often see players taking one of two paths: Go for the big shots, and hope that eventually, over the years, they will start landing in for winners, or keep the ball in play no matter what, until either your opponent makes a mistake or you get an easy putaway.
For myself, I started out as the latter and was fairly successful. But now as I try to take my game to another level, I’m finding it ‘s not enough to just get the ball back. I find I have to hit a more forceful shot, or the better players take control and the point is going to go in their favor. So what’s the answer to which path?
In my opinion, I still like the “keep the ball in” mentality, but with the caveat that developing a weapon is crucial. I practice the “big” shots every time I go out now, realizing that eventually, that’s what’s going to win those big matches at the top of the mountain. However, I must add that I have seen people over the years be successful at the other route, although they don’t enjoy the success of winning early on, and many get discouraged and drop out.
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